Highest strike rate in T20 cricket: Abhishek Sharma leads the qualified list on 187.24
Among Indian cricketers, Karnataka’s bowling all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham has the highest strike rate in T20 cricket history. He has a strike rate of 158.18.
Apr 10, 2024 · Updated Sep 6, 2026
There is no single answer to this one until you say who counts, and that is the whole problem with most versions of this list. Ordered on strike rate alone, the T20 international list is topped by batters who have faced one ball between them: Noorullah Sidiqi of Belgium and Michael Stoman of Portugal both finished 6 not out from a single delivery, a strike rate of 600. Three more players are on 400 from one ball each. None of that tells a reader anything.
Set a real qualification — 1,000 runs in T20 internationals, which 248 batters have reached — and the record belongs to Abhishek Sharma of India, on 187.24: 1,629 runs from 870 balls in 56 matches since his debut in 2024. Nobody else who has scored 1,000 T20I runs is above 175.
Highest strike rate in T20 internationals, minimum 1,000 runs
All 248 qualifiers, ranked; the top 15 are below, complete to 6 September 2026. Strike rate is runs per 100 balls, so the runs and balls columns are there to be divided — every row should give back its own strike rate.
| Strike rate | Player | Team | Span | Matches | Runs | Balls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 187.24 | Abhishek Sharma | India | 2024-2026 | 56 | 1629 | 870 |
| 174.28 | Karanbir Singh | Austria | 2024-2026 | 65 | 2616 | 1501 |
| 173.43 | Faisal Khan | Saudi Arabia | 2019-2025 | 61 | 1743 | 1005 |
| 170.73 | Finn Allen | New Zealand | 2021-2026 | 62 | 1663 | 974 |
| 168.4 | Tim David | Australia | 2019-2026 | 74 | 1679 | 997 |
| 168.07 | Saber Zakhil | Belgium | 2019-2026 | 60 | 1195 | 711 |
| 166.25 | Adil Butt | Eswatini | 2022-2026 | 36 | 1355 | 815 |
| 163.79 | Andre Russell | West Indies | 2011-2025 | 86 | 1122 | 685 |
| 163.74 | Phil Salt | England | 2022-2026 | 65 | 1852 | 1131 |
| 162.94 | Suryakumar Yadav | India | 2021-2026 | 113 | 3272 | 2008 |
| 161.62 | Bilal Zalmai | Austria | 2019-2026 | 74 | 1904 | 1178 |
| 160.58 | Harry Brook | England | 2022-2026 | 68 | 1532 | 954 |
| 159.53 | Taranjeet Singh | Romania | 2021-2026 | 56 | 1699 | 1065 |
| 157.95 | Josh Inglis | Australia | 2022-2026 | 49 | 1033 | 654 |
| 156.89 | Tony Ura | Papua New Guinea | 2015-2026 | 66 | 1900 | 1211 |
Why the associate names belong on this list
Karanbir Singh of Austria, Faisal Khan of Saudi Arabia, Saber Zakhil of Belgium, Adil Butt of Eswatini, Taranjeet Singh of Romania and Tony Ura of Papua New Guinea are all in the top 15, and Karanbir has the most runs of anyone above 170. These are not cameos: every one of them has passed 1,000 T20I runs, which is the same bar Suryakumar Yadav and Glenn Maxwell cleared. T20 internationals stopped being a ten-country format from 2019, when T20I status was extended to every ICC member, and a strike-rate list is where that shows up first, because the grounds are small and the bowling is uneven.
India’s fastest scorers in T20 internationals
Abhishek Sharma is the world record holder and India’s, and his 135 against England at the Wankhede in February 2025 is also India’s highest individual T20I score. Behind him:
- Suryakumar Yadav, 162.94 — and 3,272 runs, far more than anyone else near the top of this list. Volume and speed together is the rare part.
- Sanju Samson, 155.99 from 1,432 runs.
- Shivam Dube, 152.09 from 1,127 runs.
- Rohit Sharma, 140.89 from 4,231 runs, the most by any India batter in the format.
- Virat Kohli, 137.04 from 4,188 runs.
Sixteen India batters have made 1,000 T20I runs. The slowest of them is MS Dhoni on 126.13, which was a good T20I strike rate for most of the years he played.
Common questions
Who has the highest strike rate in T20 cricket? Among batters with 1,000 or more T20I runs, Abhishek Sharma of India, on 187.24. Without a minimum, the list is topped by players who have faced one ball.
What is Suryakumar Yadav’s T20I strike rate? 162.94, from 3,272 runs off 2,008 balls in 113 matches — the highest of anyone in the format with 3,000 runs.
Why do associate players appear so high? Because T20I status was extended to every ICC member in 2019, and all of the associate batters on this list have scored 1,000 T20I runs. They qualify on the same terms as everyone else.
What is a good strike rate in T20 cricket? Around 140 is a strong career figure for a top-order batter and 150-plus is the modern standard for a finisher. Only 18 batters with 1,000 T20I runs are above 155.
See also our lists of the most sixes in T20 cricket and the highest individual score in T20Is.
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Photo credit: Alamy